New Delhi:

Mumbai Congress veteran and five-time city corporator Ravi Raja joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) weeks ahead of the November 20 Assembly polls in Maharashtra. His resignation from the Congress ended his 44-year-old association with the grand old party.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar welcomed Mr Raja into the party fold.

While not divulging names, Mr Fadnavis said that many notable Congress leaders would follow Mr Raja into the BJP. “People are confident that the Mahayuti government will make a comeback,” he said.

“Raja is like an encyclopedia for issues in Mumbai. He is an old friend of ours. Raja and his supporters’ decision to join the BJP would strengthen the party’s prospects ahead of Maharashtra assembly polls,” Mr Shelar said.

Addressing reports of issues being faced by the Mahayuti constituents – BJP, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit-Pawar-led NCP – over seat-sharing for the upcoming elections, Mr Fadnavis said that all issues have been ironed out and names will be announced soon.

Meanwhile, Mr Fadnavis also said that all efforts are on to placate senior party leader Gopal Shetty, who filed his nomination as an Independent from the Borivali constituency after the BJP chose Sanjay Upadhyay to contest from the north Mumbai seat.

The state of Maharashtra will witness single-phase polls on November 20, the results of which will be declared on November 23.

Kalidas Kolambkar, an eight-time Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (MLA), exuded confidence in the forthcoming Maharashtra assembly elections. File
| Photo Credit: Vivek Bendre

Kalidas Kolambkar, an eight-time Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (MLA), exuded confidence in the forthcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, stating that he aims to enter the Guinness Book of World Records by winning his ninth consecutive term since 1990.

“I’ve been an MLA for eight terms and will break this trend and enter the Guinness Book Record after winning my ninth consecutive term,” Mr. Kolambkar said.

When asked what were his expectations while contesting the election for the 9th term and after remaining undefeated in Maharashtra polls, Mr. Kolambkar said, “In politics, nothing is surprising. If you approach politics commercially, it’s tough, but if you do it wholeheartedly, serving the people, they’ll surely elect you again.”

“In my area, Wadala-Naigaon constituency history shows that once an MLA is chosen, they rarely get re-elected. But I’ve been MLA for nine terms, breaking this trend. This time, I will win my ninth term and enter the Guinness Book Record,” said Mr. Kolambkar.

BJP has fielded Kalidas Kolambkar from the Wadala seat in Mumbai.

From Shiv Sena to Congress to BJP, Mr, Kolambkar has changed parties and constituencies but has not lost a single election since 1990.

Mr. Kolambkar said, “Since Balasaheb Thackeray was there, I have worked in Shiv Sena. My parents gave birth to me, but he gave birth to politics in my life and was my political guru. Narayan Rane and I worked day and night to take Shiv Sena forward. Shiv Sena was a party like gold but these people did not know how to handle the party, that was a big mistake. It is not good to say too much because that party gave birth to me and this is my principle.”

“In 2019, when I joined the BJP to address the needs of my constituents, the then Maharashtra Chief Minister completed important projects in my area, including the redevelopment of BDD Chawl and the police housing colony, along with mill workers’ wages. These initiatives continue to benefit the people of Maharashtra today,” he said.

Mr. Kolambkar’s journey into politics began in 1985 as a corporator. Before that, he worked as a calendar operator at Modi Store in Mumbai.

The Maharashtra Assembly elections are scheduled for November 20, with the counting of votes for all 288 constituencies set to take place on November 23.

The opposition alliance MVA, comprising of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), aims to regain power in the state against the Mahayuti alliance, which includes Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

New Delhi:

Nawab Malik, now the official candidate of the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party, told NDTV today that the allegations now levelled at him were “irresponsible” and the verdicts in the cases would vindicate him. His response was to the remarks of senior BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, who had called him a “terrorist”.

“These are irresponsible statements. Nawab Malik was never a terrorist nor was ever with any terrorist or any criminal. Nawab Malik has been in politics in this country for 50 years,” Mr Malik told NDTV in an exclusive interview. 

Some people think giving such comments would help increase their vote bank but it actually has the opposite effect, he said.

“Now the matter is sub judice, so I can’t obviously discuss it. Once the verdict comes, everything will be clear,” he added.

Mr Malik was arrested by central agencies in an alleged  money laundering case involving mafia don Dawood Ibrahim and his associates Chhota Shakeel and Tigar Memon. He is currently out on bail.

The BJP had refused to support his candidature, citing the case against him. 

“We won’t endorse anyone who’s related to any Dawood or Dawood related case,” Maharashtra BJP chief Ashish Shelar had said yesterday, after Ajit Pawar’s last-minute backing fr Mr Malik, he said the BJP would not campaign for him.

“Nawab Malik is a terrorist who tried to break India into pieces. He is Dawood’s agent and Ajit Pawar’s NCP has betrayed the country by giving ticket to Nawab Malik,” Kirit Somaiyya later said. 

Mr Malik, who had filed two nominations yesterday – one of them as an Independent and the other as a member of the NCP, to day said he ws not keen on contesting this time. 

“I have been a 5-term MLA and have been a minister 6 times. I did not want to contest the election,” he said, explaining that he changed his mind because of appeals from the people of Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar.

Mumbai:

Around 8000 candidates have filed nominations for the assembly elections in Maharashtra. The wealthiest of them is the BJP’s  Parag Shah – the sitting MLA from Ghatkopar East  — whose current worth is is Rs 3383.06 crore according to his election affidavit.

Mr Shah’s property has increased by 575 per cent in the last 5 years. In the 2019 assembly elections, he had mentioned his assets value as Rs 550.62 crores.

“I am an honest candidate. Even my enemies have never claimed that I am not honest,” Mr Shah told NDTV today in an exclusive interview.

“A man’s wealth is not his property but his feelings,” Mr Shah said. “Many people have wealth but I have the urge to make good use of it. I believe that God has given me everything, the country has given me everything, so I should also give something… I am a leader, a businessman and also a social worker. I give more than 50 per cent of my savings for social service,” he added.

Mr Shah is the chairman of MICI Group  which he has been running for 25 years. Recently he became a talking point because of a brief illness. The 55-year-old brushed it off, saying, “In politics, if you cough the other person starts thinking that you have tuberculosis”.
 

Mumbai:

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the BJP still wants to throw its weight behind MNS head Raj Thackeray’s son Amit Thackeray in Mahim assembly seat, which the ruling Shiv Sena is also contesting.

Efforts will be made to find a solution to this, Mr Fadnavis told reporters here.

The senior BJP leader also said his party would try to convince most of its rebels to withdraw their nominations, but added that there will be friendly fights in some seats in the November 20 state polls.

The Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has fielded sitting MLA Sada Sarvankar from Mahim, while Mahesh Sawant is the candidate of the Shiv Sena (UBT) headed by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray from the seat in Mumbai.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) of Raj Thackeray is not a part of the Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s NCP, but supported the ruling alliance in the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year.

Mr Fadnavis said the BJP and Chief Minister Shinde had a consensus on supporting MNS candidate Amit Thackeray, who is making his electoral debut, in the Mahim assembly constituency.

“However, leaders from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena argued that if the party does not contest the election, its dedicated voters would shift to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT). The BJP was ready to support Amit and is still firm on its stand,” he said.

Asked about the solution to this conundrum, Mr Fadnavis said, “When we (leaders of Mahayuti) meet, we will discuss and try to find a solution.” Mahim has witnessed the birth of the undivided Shiv Sena (1966) and then the MNS, which came into existence in 2006 when Raj Thackeray charted his own independent political course.

Mr Fadnavis also maintained that every major political party in the state has been facing the challenge of rebels in the assembly elections.

The BJP would try to convince most of its rebels to withdraw their nominations, Mr Fadnavis said.

There will be friendly fights in some seats, he added.

Notably, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday alleged he was “backstabbed” by his close colleague and then home minister RR Patil who ordered an open inquiry against him in the alleged multi-crore irrigation scam.

Mr Pawar also claimed a file mentioning Mr Patil’s remarks ordering an inquiry was shown to him by Mr Fadnavis after he became Chief Minister in 2014.

Asked about the NCP leader’s comments, Fadnavis said, “It is true that the investigation against Ajit Pawar commenced when the Congress and (then undivided) Nationalist Congress Party were in power. However, I would not say anything on RR Patil’s decision as he has passed away; it would be inappropriate.” Elections to the 288-member state assembly will be held on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

The BJP today issued a scathing criticism of the candidature of Nawab Malik, one of the key leaders of the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party, who was backed by the party at the last minute for the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar seat in the coming assembly election in Maharashtra. Mr Malik, accused in an alleged money laundering case involving mafia don Dawood Ibrahim and his associates Chhota Shakeel and Tiger Memon, had filed two nominations. One of these was as a member of the NCP and the other as an Independent. But after the party backing, he called himself the official candidate.

“The BJP’s stance is very clear. All the parties in the alliance should decide their own candidate,” said the party’s Maharashtra unit chief Ashish Shelar later today.  

“The issue is only about Nawab Malik’s official candidature from NCP. Devendra Fadnavis has time and again clarified the stance of the party, I say it again: The BJP will not campaign for Nawab Malik. There is no question of us campaigning for him, because we won’t endorse anyone who’s related to any Dawood or Dawood related case,” he added, underscoring the reservations they expressed earlier as well. 

But the party gave the benefit of the doubt to Mr Malik’s daughter Sana Malik, who is the NCP’s official candidate from the Anushakti Nagar seat, where her father is the sitting MLA. 

“As long as we don’t get any proof and information about her, all Mahayuti candidates are BJP’s candidates,” Mr Shelar said. 

NCP sources said there has been BJP pressure on Ajit Pawar not to give nomination to Nawab Malik. But Mr Pawar has also been facing criticism from closer quarters – his partymen, who feel that he has been compromising a little too much.

In the Lok Sabha election, the NCP was allowed to contest only four seats. In the assembly polls, they got the smallest share of Maharashtra’s 288 seats – this even after bringing the same number of MLAs as Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to the ruling alliance.

Sources indicated that Mr Pawar had to assert himself somewhere – and this was an apt case since Nawab Malik is one of the top five leaders of his party. Mr Malik is a prominent face in the Muslim community and the loss of their support had cost the party a lot during the Lok Sabha election. 

The NCP traditionally had good relations with the Muslim community and Pawar Junior’s alliance with the BJP has eroded this base.

But in view of the alliance and the BJP’s reservations, sources said, the party did not make its support to Nawab Malik public till the last moment – that was at 2.55 pm, five minutes before the expiry of the deadline.

Mr Malik’s big rival from Mankhurd, Samajwadi Party’s three-time sitting MLA Abu Azmi, has said the BJP’s reservations are an eyewash. His presence in the contest is expected to split the Muslim vote, if not beat the SP candidate outright.  

That would play into the hands of the ruling alliance. The BJPs’ Kirit Somaiya has posted on X, formerly Twitter, that Shiv Sena’s Suresh Krishna Patil is its official candidate.  

“Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar Legislative Assembly Shiv Sena candidate Suresh Krishnarao Patil (‘ popularly known as ‘Bullet Patil’) came to my office this evening. I assured him of my full support and wished him well,” read his message posted this evening.
 

Mumbai:

The deadline for filing nominations is over but there is no clarity on around 15 seats in Maharashtra. The ruling alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena of Eknath Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party of Ajit Pawar is yet to announce the names of candidates for four seats. The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi – Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP and the Congress – have not officially declared candidates for 11 seats. 

As of now, BJP has fielded 152 candidates, Ajit Pawar’s faction of NCP 52, and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena 80. This includes the seats they have given to smaller allies — four in case of the BJP and two for Shiv Sena.

In the MVA, the Congress has fielded 103 candidates, Uddhav Thackeray’s faction of Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar are at 87. 

In the afternoon, Sharad Pawar had announced that 87 was the final number as far his party — the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) was concerned. But it still left the mystery over 11 seats intact. 

While some of these seats are expected to go to the smaller allies and the Samajwadi Party, there is no clarity on who gets what, or even how many. 

The unprecedented situation follows weeks of tussle in the Opposition camp. But the ruling alliance, which had more or less got its house in order, has allowed the suspense to grow. 

Hand in hand with the apparent indecision comes a near-trend of leaders turning rebel and filing nomination as Independents. 

The biggest case in point was Nawab Malik of Ajit Pawar’s NCP, who had filed two nominations from the Mankhud seat — one as an Independent and the other as an NCP member, till the party moved to back him just minutes before the deadline.

BJP spokesperson Shaina NC was also seen contesting from Mumbadevi on a Shiv Sena ticket. Even after her name was announced, BJP members were seen vying from that seat.

Mumbai:

The assembly election in Maharashtra this year has gone off script, with no clarity on which party is contesting how many seats in the ruling alliance or the opposition front. On the eve of the last day of filing of nominations, decision on nine seats in the ruling alliance is yet to be announced.

The image on the other side is even more blurred. The Maha Vikas Aghadi, which made headlines for weeks over its tussle over seat sharing, is yet to provide a final frame. The alliance has already gone past the 85-85-95 seat sharing and announced disparate number of seats.

Even so, there has been no announcement on 16 seats, while its other allies, including Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, wait in the wings.

In the ruling alliance, the BJP, which initially said it would contest on 150 seats, announced that they would contest on 146, leaving four seats for smaller allies — the Yuva Swabhiman Party, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, Republican Party of India (Athavale) and Jan Surajya Shakti Paksha.

But two of its members have made an appearance on the list of the Shiv Sena of Eknath Shinde — party spokesperson Shaina NC from Mumbadevi and Amol Khatal, who is the candidate for Sangamner.

That leaves 138 seats to the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party’s Ajit Pawar faction.

The Shinde faction, which earlier announced 65 candidates, announced 15 more tonight, including Shaina NC, taking its total to 80. Like the BJP, the Sena has also given two seats out of its share to smaller parties — one each to the Jan Suraj Party and the Rajashri Shahuprakash Aghadi.

Of the 58 seats presumably left to Ajit Pawar, 49 candidates have been announced.

In the MVA, the Congress has already announced 103 candidates, the Uddhav Thackeray’s faction of Shiv Sena 87 and the NCP of Sharad Pawar 82 seats – taking the total to 272 of the state’s 288 seats.

The delay and indecision only underscores the premium placed on Maharashtra and this election, which is expected to be a referendum on the last several years of political upheaval in the state.

Maharashtra, which sends 48 members to the Lok Sabha, is next only importance to Uttar Pradesh, which, with 80 lower house seats, is seen as the Gateway to Delhi.

Over the last two years, the state has been rocked by massive political turmoil —  the split in Shiv Sena, the collapse of the MVA government and the passing of the reins of power to the BJP and the rebel faction of the Sena. It was followed by the split in the Nationalist Congress party of Sharad Pawar and the rebel faction led by Ajit Pawar joining the ruling coalition.

Part of the repercussion has been felt by the BJP and its allies in the Lok Sabha election earlier this year.

The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi had won 30 of the state’s 48 Lok Sabha seats, the ruling alliance won 17. One seat went to an Independent. The Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena won nine seats, ahead of the 7 won by Mr Shinde’s faction.

The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) scooped up eight seats, compared to the one won by Ajit Pawar’s party. The biggest winner was the Congress, which went up from one seat to 13, bringing the BJP down to nine seats from 23.

An assembly constituency in Mumbai saw the BJP workers’ protest against their own party after an “outsider” was fielded from there for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly election. Upset over the decision, senior BJP leader Gopal Shetty – a strong contender for the seat – announced that he will contest the election as an independent candidate.

“It is necessary to oppose this tradition of fielding candidates from outside, so I will fight as an independent candidate,” Mr Shetty told NDTV. “No matter what happens, I will not back down,” he added.

The BJP has fielded Mumbai unit general secretary Sanjay Upadhyay from Borivali replacing sitting legislator Sunil Rane.

“I was not interested in contesting this election. But my supporters told me about the gravity of the situation. First Vinod Tawde contested from here in 2014, then Sunil Rane in 2019. This time, the Lok Sabha ticket from Mumbai North was given to Piyush Goyal. This is happening for the fourth time with Upadhyay being nominated,” Mr Setty. Mr Upadhyay is not a resident of Borivali.

Gopal Shetty said that he got to know about the move of his party through “a TV flash”. “I saw a TV flash that Sanjay Upadhyay got a BJP ticket from Borivali.

Earlier, addressing the party workers and supporters he announced his decision to fight polls as an independent candidate, insisting that he still supported BJP ideologies and policies. “The BJP workers feel I should contest from here. Even other parties feel I should contest. But people of Borivali have told me that if you don’t correct whatever has happened, no one will ever dare to stand up to the wrongs. So, I will fight this wrong decision. I am not against BJP’s policies or ideologies, I support the BJP and Devendra Fadnavis. But I will fight this decision.”

“So, I have decided to fill the form tomorrow and contest the election,” he added.

Mr Shetty also claimed that he was not informed prior to the decision.”They didn’t ask me before taking this decision. At least have a discussion. This is an insult to Borivali workers,” a visibly disappointed Shetty said.

Many of his supporters, meanwhile staged a sit-in protest against the party’s decision with many claiming that due to the move BJP might end up losing the safe seat.

“He will win with a record margin. We don’t even know who Sanjay Upadhyay is. They have made Borivali a dharamshala (guesthouse),” said a BJP worker.

“Gopal Shetty should fight as an independent, he will win. BJP will lose this seat,”

Mr Shetty, who was an MP in 2014 and 2019 was denied a ticket from North Mumbai in this year’s general elections. The party gave the ticket to Union Minister Piyush Goyal instead.

The BJP has announced that it will contest 146 of the total 288 seats, leaving four seats from its quota to allies including Yuva Swabhiman Party, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, Republican Party of India (Athavale) and Jan Surajya Shakti Paksha. The remaining 138 seats are for Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP.

Maharashtra will vote on November 20 and the results will be declared on November 23.

Mumbai:

Shaina NC, the spokesperson of the BJP, has made an appearance on the list of Shiv Sena of Eknath Shinde — one of the many surprises thrown up by the tussle over seats on either side in the assembly elections in Maharashtra. The 51-year-old has been fielded from Mumbadevi and will file her nomination at noon tomorrow, which is the last day for filing nomination. 

The Mumbadevi constituency is a part of the Mumbai Lok Sabha seat. It has been represented by the Congress since 2009.

Shaina NC was in fray for the Worli seat, which as gone to Shiv Sena’s Milind Deora. Fielding her from the Mumbadevi seat is seen as Sena’s way of making amends. 

“I am not at all upset. It is the party and the alliance’s decision to select the candidate. I congratulate my friend Milind Deora on his candidature as the Mahayuti candidate for the prestigious Worli assembly constituency,” Saina NC was quoted as saying by news agency ANI after the announcement.

“As an alliance, the decision to select a candidate is always the prerogative of the leadership. Our party believes in nation first, party next and individual last. Our agenda is development for Mumbai and Maharashtra is taken to new heights,” she had added. 

The Worli constituency will see a high-profile contest between Mr Deora and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray.

Polling in Maharashtra is scheduled for November 20, with counting of of votes set for November 23.

In the 2019 assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena 56, and the Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP secured 122 seats, the Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42 seats.